


On the Road Again

by TheGoldenSnitch1228



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mortal AU, road trip au, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-06-10 03:57:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6938695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoldenSnitch1228/pseuds/TheGoldenSnitch1228
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will and Nico hate each other (kinda). They have since middle school (kinda). What happens when they are chosen for a special field trip in the Summer after their freshman year. Road trips, danger, and hilarity ensue, of course! (rated teen and up for cursing and innuendos)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is my new Solangelo AU. It was inspired by this aesthetic post I saw on tumblr: http://thegoldensnitch1228.tumblr.com/post/144782487253/bcsiltonpitch-solangelo-road-trips-will
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

        " _Nico. Nico, wake up."_

        "Mmh? Ugh, hm."

        " _Nico, we're gonna be late."_

        "I don't care. I never wanna get up. Leave me to _die."_  Nico muttered into his pillow. His sister rolled her eyes.

        " _Get up. We're leaving soon."_ Hazel whispered. " _If you don't get up now, I swear I'll pull you off."_ Nico just gripped his pillow tighter. Hazel sighed and pretended to crack her knuckles, prompting him to sit up.

         _"_ I'm up, _I'm up!"_ Nico insisted, sitting up.

        "Grab your stuff. If we leave now we can make it. 20 minutes early." She muttered to him. He nodded drowsily and stood up, stumbling on his tired legs. Hazel giggled and left the room to go change out of her pajamas. Nico changes out of his pajamas put on a pair of black jeans, his favorite Ramones shirt, and his bomber jacket. He hopped out of the room as he tried to pull on his shoes, walk, and drag his luggage behind him simultaneously. Hazel came out of their dad's room.

        "I left a note on dad's nightstand to tell him where we went." She explained. He nodded. "You have your phone?" Nico patted his shirt pocket.

        "Check."

        "Charger?"

        "Check."

        "Books?"

        "Check."

        "Laptop? Laptop charger? Laptop case?"

        "Check, check, and check."

        "Good, let's go." Hazel said. They rolled their luggage down the steps and outside, where their very old, and very tired driver waited. They climbed in the backseat and the three of them set off. Their driver left them in front of their school, tiredly waving as they walked away. Hazel pulled Nico by the wrist to make him hurry. They darted down the hallway and into a classroom. They were the first there besides their teacher, Mr. Brunner, or, as he had them call him, Chiron, and his teaching assistant, Argus, who never spoke much but was notoriously watchful.

        "Take a seat." He told them. They sat in the back of the room. They started whispering about the trip.

        "Aren't you excited?" Hazel asked, smiling.

        "I guess, but I don't know..." Nico trailed off.

        "Is this about... Him?" She took Nico's silence as a conformation. "Nico, c'mon, really?"

        "Hazel, I can't stand him!" Nico insisted.

        "You sure it's just that?" Hazel asked, smirking. It wasn't.

        " _Yes."_ No. "Yes, it's just that." No, it wasn't 'just that'. "I can't stand him, Hazel! Everything he says makes me angry!" Now _that was true._

        "Maybe if you just ignored him, you'd save yourself, and everyone else, some irritation." Hazel reasoned. Nico rolled his eyes and leaned back, crossing his arms immaturely. Hazel rolled her eyes at her brother and opened the smaller of her two bags, a purple drawstring bag with golden lettering and a golden symbol from her summer camp. She pulled out a bag of bugles chips. She opened it and offered some to Nico.

        "You know me so well." Nico laughed, taking a handful. His sister laughed along and ate with him. Jason was the next to arrive. He entered and sat down by them, immediately taking a handful of bugles without so much as a "hello."

        "Rude." Nico muttered jokingly.

        "Sorry, I'm just--"

        "Not a morning person?" Hazel asked. Jason nodded. She pulled out a thermos and handed it to him. "It's coffee. It tastes horrifically sweet but it wakes you up. Don't take much, you don't wanna crash too hard." Jason carefully poured himself a capful and choked it down, nearly gagged immediately after pulling the cap's edge from his lips.

        " _Eck! What is that?"_ Jason asked, using all of his will power to withhold his arsenal of curses.

        "Coffee. Well mostly." Nico said, smiling. "Last January, during exams, I had a late night studying before a hard exam, and I slept in. We were running late, and I was moving like a zombie."  
        "So I poured everything with caffeine that was in the kitchen at the time into a thermos half filled with coffee, shook it up, and had him drink it." Hazel said.

        "I was awake all morning. And all afternoon. I don't think I slept for weeks." Nico said, trying to think back to that past January.

        "These are the exact same ingredients?" Jason asked, gulping down water.

        "Oh, no. We tested this method out a couple of times. This was just the one that worked best. The first one kept me up for way to long." Nico said seriously.

        "We've got a lot of free time." Hazel shrugged. Jason just stared at them for a few seconds before they both laughed.

        "We're kidding." Nico said. Jason sighed with relief. "It's just coffee, some lukewarm coca cola, and a _shit ton_ of sugar." Jason rolled his eyes. They heard the door shut and turned to look. Stood there was Will Solace, glaring daggers as his sister, Kayla, tried to drag him away. Nico narrowed his eyes at the blonde, wanting to run over there and punch him in the face, or do something else, he wasn't completely certain. Jason looked just as pissed off.

        "Don't tell me you hate him now too?" Hazel asked, clearly annoyed.

        "Enemies by association. He and Neeks are enemies so there for so are he and I."  Jason explained. Nico rolled his eyes. _We aren't exactly enemies,_ Nico thought. _He thinks we are, so I pretend to think so too due to my crippling awkwardness and inability to have a civil conversation without wanting to kiss him or punch him in the nose._

"Jason stop staring, you look creepy." Nico said, although he couldn't exactly judge. He was always sneaking glances at the blonde, but, luckily, he'd never been caught. Lou Ellen was the last to show up. She had her short, colored hair knotted and sticking up in places. Her backpack was half open, and she was in a white tank top and blue pajama pants. She was apologizing, saying she slept in, but, in truth, she'd been told an earlier time, as she was notoriously late and forgetful. Chiron had the RV parked out front. In all honesty, it wasn't even an RV. It was an old beaten up school bus with the seats removed. In place of the seats were a pair of bunk beds and three single beds at the back. The bunk beds could be folded away to save space. Four of the peeling three seater bus seats had stayed, but two were turned so that there were two pairs of seats facing each other, two of them against with their backs against each other. Between each pair of seats was a table that was bolted to the ground. On the left side of the front of the bus there was a counter top with a sink and a small portable fridge. Chiron had been working on the bus for the past three years with the help of a few of his past classes, including Jason's and Percy's. Most of the money came out of his own pocket, but some came from students volunteering to organize bake sales and raising money to help.

        "Girls on one side and boys on the other." Chiron said as they clambered onto the bus. He proceeded to discuss who would be the first to drive with Argus while the students chose their beds.

        "Shotgun the single bed!" Jason shouted, running and jumping on the single bed that was on the left side of the bus. Hazel quietly dropped her drawstring bag on the single bed on the right side. Kayla and Lou Ellen didn't seem to mind, as they knew each other well through Will, and both preferred to bunk together than have to share a bunk with a stranger. Of course, that left with Nico bunking with Will. _Great. Just Peachy._ Nico turned and looked and the much taller blonde.

        "I'll take the top bunk; I'd hit my head from the bottom." Will muttered to no one in particular. He seemed to be actively ignoring the fact that he was bunking with Nico. Nico was going to say something in response, but thought better, dumping his backpack on the bottom bunk and stuffing his luggage under it. Will wedged his luggage in the space between the countertop and the side of the bed. Nico joined Hazel and Jason in the back of the bus on the latter's bed. Chiron took the wheel, and Argus took the bed in the back. He pulled a curtain in front of it closed and went to sleep, resting for when it's his turn to drive.

     "Jason, you're dead." Nico said when he plopped down on his bed. Jason's eyes widened in realization.

     "Oh."

     "Yep."

     "Sorry." He muttered sheepishly.

     "Maybe it'll be good for you. Maybe you'll learn to deal with each other like human beings." Hazel said. She pulled a box of Pocky out of her seemingly bottomless bag of snacks. "Pocky anyone? Will?" She held it out to Will, who reached over and took a packet out of the box.

     "Thanks." He said, flashing a dazzling smile that made Nico's heart do somersaults in his stomach.

    "Your welcome." Hazel said. Will walked to the front of the bus and sat at the table with his sister and friend.

     "Fraternizing with the enemy." Jason whispered fiercely. Hazel rolled her eyes. _I'd fraternize with that enemy_.  _Daily._ Nico thought.

     "Grow up, Jason." Hazel said. "They're high school rivals, not the leaders of warring countries."

     "Kids, we're going to get gas for the road then we'll be on the road for a few hours. We'll arrive soon." Chiron said from the front of the bus. "I can see you're all rather tired, so I suggest you sleep while we go so you're all energized when we arrive." Everyone muttered in agreement and made their way to their beds. Hazel pulled the curtains on the windows closed, and she climbed onto her bed. Nico pulled a blue wool blanket out of his bag. Hazel smiled at him fondly, know that he couldn't sleep without the blanket his held in his hands. He heard Will scoff as he climbed up the ladder to the top bunk.

    "Do you have a problem?" Nico asked, dropping the blanket on his bunk.

    "Nothing, nothing." Will said, smirking. Nico resisted the urge to flip him off and climbed onto the bed. He pushed his backpack onto the ground beside the bed and closed curtains. He rolled over, hugging the blanket to his chest. It felt soft and smelled like home. He nearly immediately fell asleep.

~~~

     Nico's nap was short lived. He was woken up by the sound of tossing and turning above him. He pulled the curtain away slightly.

    "Could you be _quiet?"_ Nico hissed quietly. 

     "I'm _sorry_ that not all of us have the luxury of a magical baby blanket." Will muttered back. _If you wanted to, you could always come down here and join me._ Nico thought. 

     "It's not--" Nico stopped and took a deep breath. He rolled over and shut his eyes tightly. It wasn't long before the tossing and turning started again. Nico groaned and banged on the bottom of the bunk above him with the side of his fist.

     "Stop it." Will muttered.

     "Why should I?" Nico asked.

     "You're gonna break my fucking bed!" Will hissed. _I can think of other ways to break the bed,_ Nico thought, _but it wouldn't be the bed that was fucking._

     "I don't think you need my help to break it." Nico muttered instead.

     "What's that supposed to mean?" Will asked, clearly pissed.

     "Nothing, nothing." Nico muttered, mostly just to annoy Will. Will grumbled something inaudibly and tried to sleep. Needless to say, neither of them slept much.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit to the Camden aquarium and the battleship New Jersey causes a bit of poetic staring and sugar highs. Lets hope no one rocks the boat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this isn't the best. I wasn't super confident in this chapter, but my beta enjoyed it, so I'm going to post it. It's also VERY short, so I apologize. The next chapter is in the works and it is already much better and longer. Enjoy.

         "First stop: Camden, New Jersey." Jason said, staring out the window from his seat on his bed. Nico plopped down beside him. 

        "The Detroit of Jersey." Nico said. Hazel laughed. They arrived earlier than expected, 9 am. Their tour of the Battle Ship New Jersey at 1 pm, so Chiron bought them all tickets to visit the Adventure Aquarium. At first everyone told him not to waste his money, but, because he knew the owner's family, all 6 of them got in for the price of 2 tickets. They wondered around the building, looking at the animals.

        "Hey Jase," Nico said when they found the hippos, "it's you." He said, pointing at they hippo that was nudging its face against the glass.

        "Ha ha. So _funny._ I'm cracking up." Jason said sarcastically. Then he started laughing manically, stomping around and flaying his arms. People stopped and stared.

        "Jase, Jase," Nico said, putting his arm up to stop his friend, resting his hand on Jason's left shoulder with his arm across his chest. "Jase, stop. You're scaring the children." Jason rolled his eyes. Will was staring intently at the hippos, looking angry for some unfathomable reason. Kayla looked annoyed, rolling her eyes and trying to drag Will along by the sleeve. They all wandered around together but in their groups. Hazel practically shrieked when she finally worked up the courage to touch a sting ray, and Jason was determined to touch the speckled one that was swimming around just out of his reach. Across the huge pool of water that the rays swam around Lou Ellen and Kayla were trying to touch one, Lou looking slightly terrified, and Kayla was just interested. Then Will jumped up behind them, nudging their shoulders and shouting a bit in their ears, making them jump. Will was in hysterics. His laugh was loud, and attention grabbing. He threw his head back or doubled over when he laughed. His mess of blonde hair fell into his bright blue eyes, and he stumbled back as he laughed. The sound was booming and seemed to bounce off the walls. It was contagious. No matter how horrible of a day you may have had or how much you may dislike Will, no one could resist the urge to smile when he was laughing. His laugh was loud, obnoxious, and annoying, and it made Nico's heart and brain melt every time. His sister and best friend looking like they could kill a man, and that man would probably be the blonde doubled over behind them. Lou smirked and took her hand out of the water and flicked the water off her hand and at him. Kayla laughed and did the same. Will leaned away from them, shielding his face from the water, still laughing.

        "Hey- Lou- Kay- hey- stop!" He laughed, out of breath from his laughs. Nico smiled. They man that was telling them what to and what not to do was shouting at them to stop. They didn't seem to hear him. They got them kicked out of the sting ray room. They went outside to look at the Penguins. They probably spent the most time there. Nico and Hazel stood on the bottom bar of the metal fence, holding onto the top bar and leaning forward to get a better look. Jason laughed at their childlike antics and just leaned on the top bar. Will was stood watching from another side, muttering to Lou and Kayla about how they made him smell like fish. They spent about 3 hours in the aquarium, and at least 30 minutes of that time was spent watching the penguins and another 30 minutes in the gift shop. After wandering, they bought some food in the food court and took it outside to eat. They walked to where the land cut off and met the water. Hazel, Jason, and Nico took a seat in the middle of the compass painted onto the stone ground. Will and his friends were sat on a bench by some flags. Nico stared for a moment. Will was laughing again. His smile spread from ear to ear, and the wind was blowing his hair across his forehead and over his eyes. Will was pushing the hair back so he could see, revealing his eyes that are so blue that the clear summer sky looked grey and dreary in comparison.

        "Are you ok, Nico?" Hazel asked. Nico snapped back into reality.

        "What? Oh, yeah. I-I'm fine." Nico said.

        "What were you staring at?" Jason asked. He leaned behind Nico and looked around.

        "N-nothing! I just zoned out." Nico insisted.

        "Alright, if you say so." Hazel said. Nico pushed the burnt fries that were left at the bottom around the cardboard bowl with his finger. He looked over his shoulder at the Philadelphian skyline. He stood up and walked over to the fence. He put his feet through the bars and say on the second bar up and leaning on the top bar. Hazel walked over, bringing their sodas with her. She set them down on the ground, joining Nico on the fence. They stared at the water silently, enjoying the scenery.

  
_"Boo!"_ Jason shouted, grabbing them by the shoulders suddenly. Nico's heart practically jumped out of his chest.

        " _Fuck!"_ Nico shouted. " _Jason you are dead."_ He climbed off the fence and turned to his friend. Jason laughed and started running. Nico simply grabbed him by the back of the shirt and tugged him down, making his fall onto his back.

        "I give up." Jason said, closing his eyes. Nico laughed and helped him up. "How do you always win?"

        "Skill." Nico said. "Brains."

        "But I'm like twice your size! I should be able to break your tiny wrists." Jason said.

        "I do not have tiny wrists." Nico insisted.

        "You keep telling yourself that, pipsqueak." Jason said.

        "You two are going to be the death of me." Hazel said, crossing her arms. They laughed.

~~~

        By the time they made it to the Battleship New Jersey, they were all practically bouncing off the walls. Nico and Jason were chasing each other around and shooting at each other with laser guns they'd bought in the gift shop, and Will was trying to serenade Lou and Kayla ( _ok, now he's just_ trying _to kill me_ ). Lou and Kayla were walking shoulder to shoulder with a stuffed snake draped over their shoulders, and Hazel just couldn't stop laughing as she opened a second bag of blue gummy sharks. The tour guide had given up and just fell back with Chiron and Argus. Nico was running down a hall, chasing Jason, who was darting around, laughing maniacally.

        "Get back here, you--." Because he wasn't looking, Nico tripped on his own feet and fell directly into Will, sending them both tumbling onto the ground. Nico awkwardly pulled himself up so he was right above Will. He tried to remember that moment. He didn't think that sort of thing would ever happen again. He pulled himself back onto his feet, but didn't offer to help Will up. They stared at each other for a moment, Will looking pissed and Nico feeling awkward. Nico just turned and darted back over to Hazel, who was snickering loudly. Will looked insulted, and Lou and Kayla looked tired of their bull shit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if the comment about Camden offended you, I apologize, but I am from Jersey and that's just how we all see it. Also if you were offended because of the Detroit part, idk that's just based on what I've heard. SORRY SORRY SORRY!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico is trying to write an email, Bianca is being cryptic, Hazel and Jason are at a loss, and Will's hot musical talent is making Nico mad.

     "Da, da, dat, da, da, da, da dat..." Will was singing as he strummed his ukulele. He was sat on the bottom bunk of Lou and Kayla's bed, sandwiched between the two girls. Nico was sat at the farthest table with Hazel and Jason. He was trying to email his other sister, Bianca, for the first time in what felt like forever, but Will's aggravatingly attractive musical talent was distracting. He whipped around in his seat.

    "Could you _maybe_ try to shut up?" He hissed at the blonde, who continued strumming.

    "Could you _maybe_ try not to be a jackass." He singsonged to the tune of the melody he played.

    "Hey, language!" Chiron shouted back from the drivers seat. Nico glared at Will, who had gone back to playing. Nico turned back to his laptop, and stared at the screen. He typed out his letter, trying to find the words to tell her how much he missed her. 

She was rarely around. After their mother died, she enrolled in a super exclusive, all girls boarding school and stopped interacting with Nico and his father as much. During her first summer she cut them off completely, stay with her best friend during the summer and only ever calling on holidays and birthdays.

 

_**Bianca,** _

_**Dad and I have---** _

****

  
_"_ No..." Nico muttered under his breath.

 

_**We miss y---** _

****

  
_"_ Even worse." Nico mumbled.

     "Having trouble emailing her?" Hazel asked. Nico nodded.

     "What do you want to tell her, anyway?" Jason asked.

     "I miss her. I don't think I've actually seen her face or heard her voice since my birthday two years ago." Nico said.

     "What about this year or last year?" Hazel asked.

     "She just texted me a stupid cake emoji." Nico muttered. "She's not even trying anymore."

     "Nico, she's 18, she's probably really busy." Hazel tried to reason, obviously not believing what she was saying was valid in the slightest.

     "But I'm her bro--" Nico was cut off in the middle of his word by a loud out of tune P _LUUu_ U _u_ uU _UK_ K from the bed that Will and his friends were sat at. Nico banged on the table in frustration and shot up, turning to face them. 

     " _Would you cut that out?!"_ He shouted. Will shot up too, holding his ukulele at his side.

     " _Make me!"_ He shouted. In any other situation Nico would've cocked an eyebrow at the insinuation of that phrase, just to annoy him, to fluster him, but right now all he cared about was Bianca and making his sister his sister again. Bianca was far more important than the stupid jackass he'd spent the last five years thinking about. He didn't have the energy to fight back. 

     " _Please._ Just _quit it._ This is important, ok?" Nico sighed.

     "Why should I care?" Will asked. Nico groaned. Will was so fucking stubborn.

     "It's _family_ issues." Nico hissed. Will softened very slightly for a short moment, glancing at Kayla, who was hugging her knees to her chest and staring off into the distance. "You of all people should get that seeing as your family seems to multiply like fruit flies." Will gritted his teeth and tossed his ukulele into his bed. 

     " _Fine."_ Will huffed. He sat down with his sister and friend. Nico sighed and sat back down. 

     Trying to type, only finally finishing the email a half hour later with Hazel and Jason's help. 

     He waited for ten minutes.

     Then another ten.

     Then another fifteen. 

     Then another twenty.

     Then another hour. Finally he got a response.

 

_**When is your next stop?** _

****

     That was it. No "I miss you too." No "So how've you been?" No "I am so sorry that I abandoned you right after the death of our mother, when you needed me most. My bad." Just " _when is your next stop?"_ but it was something. Nico was content with something.

__

_**We stop at some motel/hotel thing in a couple miles, maybe 10-20 minutes. Our next destination is a far one, and Chiron wants  us all to rest up as best as possible. That and he couldn't find a place to park a school bus full of sleeping teenagers that also has the words "THE CHIRON-MOBILE" spray painted on the side in white paint over an array of profanity. Why?** _

****

She responds within two minutes this time. 

 

_**Get away from everyone else and log onto Skype on your laptop. I need to talk to you, alone.** _

****

Nico stared at his screen. He glanced up at Hazel, who'd dozed off, and Jason, who was texting either Piper or Percy, possibly both of them. He looked back to his screen.

_I'll be there._

~~~

** Nico's email to Bianca **

_Dear Bianca,_

  
_It's been over a year since I've properly heard from you. Bianca, please, say something. Whatever the hell is happening, talk to me, talk to us! We miss you, dad and I. We have another sibling. Hazel. My little sister. She'd be_ your  _little sister too if you'd just fucking_ talk to us! _I miss you so,_ so _much._  


_I've made friends since you left. You remember Percy and Annabeth, right? And Thalia, and Grover, and Clarisse? Now there's Jason (Thalia's brother) and Piper, and Leo, and Frank (Hazel's boyfriend), and Reyna. You'd like Reyna. Her sister is an Alumni of your school. She got accepted too, but didn't want to go. She lost her sister for a while._

  
_There's also Will and his friends. They don't seem to like me. I wish I could figure him out, but I just can't. You were always the people person, the one that was good with words. You'd figure them out. You'd get them to like you. I don't know about me. Not many people like me, much. As a kid I talked too much, but after mom got sick... This was all_ so hard _without you Bianca, and I can't imagine what it must've been like for you. Please. We miss you so, so,_ so _much! Dad would cry if he so much as got to hear your voice again. Hazel and everyone would_ kill _to meet you._ I _would kill to meet you. I just want to see you again, Bianca. Please, you're my sister_ _. I can't stand the thought of loosing you._  


_Love,_

_Your brother,_

_Nico_

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico had an emotional night

     Chiron decided to put the three boys in one room and the girls in another. Jason and Will went to the arcade with the rest of the group, but Nico stayed behind. He logged into Skype, and called Bianca. Those few seconds of Nico staring at Bianca's smiling face in her profile picture as the computer rang were the most tense moments in Nico's recent memory. Her face popped up on the screen. 

     She looked so different since he'd last seen her, four years ago. The last he saw her, she looked lively and excited. Her hair was braided to the side and she wore her silver school jacket. Now she looked older and more tired. She was skinny and was wearing an oversized grey sweater over a loose tie dye shirt. Her brown hair was hanging loosely on her shoulders, looking frizzy and unbrushed. She was alone, and looked like she was about to be sick. There was a moment of silence.

     "Bianca, I--"

     "I fucked up, Nico." She said.

     "What..?"

     "I fucked up," She repeated, "and I am _so_ sorry." She was crying a bit, and she rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand. " _I'm so sorry!"_  


     "Bianca, don't, it's alri--"

     "No, it's not alright!" She snapped. "Nico, can't you stop being so fucking sweet and get mad at me? I left you when our mother died, and I knew how much you needed me. But I was _so fucking selfish._ I just could deal with the thought of watching. I couldn't watch dad cry anymore, Nico, I just couldn't. You- you didn't see it. He wanted to save you, he wanted to keep you whole. He didn't want to break you the way watching her die broke him. But Nico, he would cry. He would come into my room and cry, and _cry, and cry,_ and I just couldn't take it anymore!" She had tears streaming down her face now, and Nico felt tears well up in his eyes.

     "B, you don't have to tell me this if you--"

     "But I do!" She cried. "I owe it to you. I owe you and explanation. It is the least I could do for letting you suffer. I let you feel so alone, and so horrible, but I did nothing!"

     "B, you- you couldn't have known..." Nico said, feeling tears rolling down his cheeks. 

     "But I did! I know you, Nico. I- I _knew_ you, and you weren't the same. I saw you growing up though pictures on Dad's Facebook, and _fuck_ it was like a punch in the gut to see you so different. You were falling apart. You wore all black, and looked like you weighed less at fourteen than you did at ten!"

     "But I'm better now!" Nico cried. "My friends, and Hazel. They've all helped me. I'm alright!"    

     "But _I_ didn't help you! I knew you were sick, and I did nothing. Do you know why?" She sobbed. "Because I couldn't watch you cry."

     "Bianca..."

     "You were my little brother, and you were so happy. You never once seemed to think she was going to die, but when she did... I couldn't watch. You cried, and cried, and the sound broke my heart. You were my baby brother, _my_ Nico! I just couldn't watch you mourn her. I barely made it through her funeral." She said. She was breathing heavily, and didn't seem to be able to look at the screen. "You know, I applied before she even died. I knew this was going to happen. There were days when it was all too much, and you were the only person that could make me smile. With your chubby cheeks and your figurines. My sole purpose became to keep you a child. To keep you happy. But I knew that when she was gone my job would be obsolete. So I applied. My acceptance letter arrived on the day of her funeral. I- I knew you needed me, but I was a coward, and I fled. I tr-tried to help. I sent you the little figurine that you aways wanted, but I- I couldn't face you. I couldn't lie and tell you I was great, not to your face."

     "Bianca, I forgive you." 

     "But why?" She sobbed. "I've done nothing to deserve it."

     "Because, you're my sister, and you're part of the fucking family, godammit." Nico replied, laughing lightly.

     "But I'm so fucking horrible." She insisting, smiling a bit. "I don't deserve you guys."

     "Hazel's mom was a witch, Percy has been in more fights than I can count, Thalia is an anarchist, Jason switched between the same two schools four times before the two merged, Dad is a total mess as always, and I can't look at a pomegranate without wanting to projectile vomit. We're all fucked up. Join the club." Nico said, laughed. Bianca laughed too. They kept laughed until they could barely breath. Bianca dabbed her eyes with her sleeve.

     "So, how've you been?" She asked.

     "Good. I've been good." Nico said, rubbing his eye a bit.

     "So, tell me about your friends." She said.

     "Well, you know Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia." She nodded. "They're the same as ever. Percy and Annabeth are officially a couple as of about a year or two ago."

     " _Who would have guessed?_ " Bianca said sarcastically. Nico laughed.

     "Yeah. Jason is Thalia's little brother. He's tall blonde and a goody two shoes. Hazel is the sweetest person _ever._ Piper is hilarious, and her and Jason are also a thing. Leo is Piper and Jason's best friend. He's a joker. Frank is just a big teddy bear, and he and Hazel are dating."

     "Yes, and tell me about this Reyna." She said.

     "Reyna is a badass, and she is very organized and structured, but she's also the nicest person ever when you get to know her enough. I met her through Jason. They went to school together, and when the two schools merged Jason introduced us." Nico said. 

     "Hm, and what was it about this Will guy?" She asked with a knowing smirk. Nico felt his cheek reddening.

     "He's just a guy in my class. He hates me. I have no clue why." Nico said.

     "You don't look particularly approachable, Neeks. You wear all black, a skull ring, and the _same_ aviator jacket from when you were ten. And it's still big enough to fit two of you." She said. Nico rolled his eyes at her. "By the way, how tall are you now? 4'9", 4'10" maybe?"

     "I don't like this topic." Nico crossed his arms.

     "Ooh, did Nico hit 5 foot? Oh my god! What a miracle." She teased.

     "I'll have you know that I am 5'1"." He said. 

     "Nico, you're 15."

    "Shut up."

     "So anyway, what's this Will guy's deal?" She asked, leaning on her hands.

     "He just doesn't like me for no reason. Because of that I may or may have not given him a reason, _BUT only_ AFTER  _he started hating me!"_ Bianca rolled her eyes.

     "Do you hate him?"

     "I guess..." Nico said weakly. She cocked and eyebrow. He sighed. "I hate his stupid bright blue eyes and his musical talent, and I hate that I wish I could just stare at him long enough to count every stupid freckle on his stupid face. I hate his stupid smile and his fucking laugh, _oh his      laugh._ I hate that they make me stare, and I hate how contagious they are. I hate that he's so fucking tall, cause it just makes me want to yank him down by the collar and kiss him until our lips go blue and we're seeing stars. He just makes me so angry because he's the only thing I can ever fucking think about."

     "Nico...?" Nico's head shot up, and his eyes found Jason and Hazel, who were stood by the door, Jason hugging crane machine prizes to his chest, and Hazel holding a giant rainbow slinky. Nico covered his face and hid it in his knees.

     "Did you guys hear all of that?" He asked. They nodded. 

     "You haven't told them?" Bianca said. Nico shook his head meekly.

     "Nico, who are you talking to?" Jason asked, stepping forward and tossing his prizes onto his bed.

     "Is that--" Hazel started, sliding in next to Nico, "Bianca!" Hazel's hand flew up to cover her face. Nico chuckled, feeling his eyes prickling again. Bianca was sniffling and smiling widely.

     "You're Hazel?" Hazel nodded animatedly, smiling widely and tearing up. "Oh my god... I have a little sister. I've always wanted a little sister!" Hazel laughed, dabbing her eyes.

     "I've heard so much about you!" Hazel said. "You two look so much alike."

     "Yeah, but you've got Nico's smile." Bianca said. "I've missed that smile so much." Nico and Hazel laughed. Nico looked behind Hazel, where Jason stood just out of shot. He gestured for him to join them.

     "Jason, c'mon." He said. Jason reluctantly joined them.

     "Hi." He said to Bianca, who smiled and waved.

     "So this is Thalia's little Jason." She said. Jason smiled shyly. "She wouldn't stop going on about you for her entire junior and senior years. She's really proud of you." Jason smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You better be watch out for my baby siblings."

     "Bianca..." Nico said.

     "No, I mean it. I'm still at a friends house, but her family is going on vacation next month, so I'l be back within a week. I'll be at home before you guys get back. 'Til then I want you lookin' out for them. I haven't been the best sister in the past, and I'll be damned if something happens to you two before I can fix it." She said. They chuckled.

     "Speaking of fixing things..." Nico said, clicking a few things. He added their dad to the call, and he answered before Bianca could even begin to protest, "you two, talk, if I get back and you're not both reconciled, I will be angry." Their dad looked frozen, staring at the screen. Nico turned off his camera and muted both himself and his computer. He turned the laptop around, and faced Hazel and Jason. 

     "Go ahead. Now is your time to bombard me its questions." Nico said. 

     "Will?" Jason asked simply. Nico nodded. "But he hates you."

     "And that kills me." Nico muttered.

     "Nico, I- I thought you hated him..." 

     "I hate that I can't look at him without wanting to punch him or kiss every freckle on his face." Nico deadpanned, not able to look either of them in the eye. He stared at the door, praying that no one was listening. "I hate that I can barely ever be in the same room as him with think some dirty twisted thought. I hate that I can't hate him. I hate that I've been in love with the guy since the sixth grade."

     "Oh, Nico..." Hazel said, hugging her brother tightly. She buried her head in his shoulder, and he leaned his forehead on the top of her head. Jason hugged them both too after giving them a few moments for just a brother sister hug. They let hims go, and Nico as crying a little again. It was such an emotional night.

     "I should check on them." Nico said after a few moments of silence. He turned back to the laptop, and turned it to face him. He unmuted the computer and turned his microphone back in, along with his camera. Bianca was crying again, and their dad looked like he was seeing his newborn child for the first time: ecstatic.

     "Everyone all good here?" Nico asked, smiling. The nodded, eyes still full of tears.

     "We're good." Bianca said.

     "This is the best day of my life." Their father said quietly. "Thank you, son."

     "It was the least I could do. You two needed to talk." Nico said.

     "I'll be home within a week, dad. I've got to go pack. Love you, guys." Bianca said.

    "Love you too." Nico and their dad said. She ended the call. Nico closed his laptop, and turned. Hazel and Jason just tackled him with yet another hug. They'd just released him when the door flew open, Will entered the room, still babbling with his friend, who were continuing down the hall to their room. He had a stuffed snake around his neck and a shit ton of candy in his hands. He looked at them and fell silent. 

     "Hazel, you should go back to your room now, it's getting late." Chiron said, ducking his head in for a moment. She sniffed at rubbed her eye.

     "Alright, bye Nico." She said, hugging him. He kissed her on the cheek. She said good bye to Jason, and then she waved to Wil, as she exited. Jason went to go brush his teeth in the bathroom, leaving Nico and Will in the room alone. Nico hugged his arms to his chest and ducked his head. He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at his shoes.

     "Nico, are you crying?" Will said as he dropped his stuff on his own bed. 

     "I've had an emotional night." Nico said, smiling simply and wiping away the drying tears that streaked down his cheeks. Will looked a bit uncomfortable, like he had no clue what to say. He hated Nico, but he was a nice guy and didn't like seeing people upset.

     "Umm, are you ok...?" Will asked awkwardly. Nico chuckled.

     "I'm alright. Great, actually."

     "Uh, ok. Good." Will said. He smiled a little, and Nico felt his stomach doing a gymnastics routine. 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Philly and awkward hand holding.

     " _Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Columbus is the capital of O-hi-o!"_ Will was singing again, this time it was a song from an old cartoon. This was his third time through. Nico did need to be particularly focused on this book he was reading, it was a shitty romance novel he'd stolen from the school library out of spite for the bitchy librarian, but Will's voice made him uncomfortably comfortable. It made him angry.

     " _There's Mongomery, Alabama. South of Helena, Montana."_ Lou and his sister joined in now. " _Then there's--"_  


     "Shut _up!"_ Nico shouted

  
_"Denver, Colorado,_ **and Boise, Idaho.** " They sang the last part pointedly at Nico, who rolled his eyes. 

     "Philadelphia, here we come." Jason said, staring out of the window at the Philadelphia sky line. "Why did Chiron say we were going again."

     "The Philadelphia zoo, the Eastern State Penitentiary, and then we all get dinner." Hazel said.

     " _Wonderful."_ Nico said sarcastically.

     " _Trenton's in New Jersey, north of Jefferson, Missouri. You've got Richmond in Virgina. South Dakota has Pierre!--"_  


_~~~_

     "Thalia would have a panic attack, just _looking_ at that thing." Jason said as they waited in line for the Philadelphia zoo balloon ride.

     "Yep..." Nico trailed off. He watched the previous group coming down and shuffled nervously.

     "Oh, are you scared Nico?" Jason teased.

     "No..."

     "Aw, is Mr. Ghost King scared of heights?"

     "No, I just... don't like the idea of falling." Nico said. Jason laughed and hugged him, picking him up off of his feet.

     "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I promised Bianca." He said.

     "Put me down Jason." Nico hissed. Jason laughed and swung him a bit before putting him back down. Will looked annoyed. Nico watch a pair of little kids bound out of the balloons and felt a bit silly for being so terrified, but didn't feel and less scared. They filed into the balloon and grabbed onto the bars on either side of them. Unlike the balloons they were imagining, the "basket" part was a sort of ring shape with metal half walls, a sort of plastic/canvas type floor, and a weave of plastic rope that went up above all of their heads. The balloon was huge and connected to the ground by a sort of wire or something that went up through the middle of the ring shape and into a sort of hole in the ground. There was a prerecorded telling them that there would be a bump at the bottom and at the top and stuff of the like. Nico moved his hand back a bit, and it fell atop someone else's hand. He turned to look behind him and was met with bright blue eyes. Nico froze for a short moment.

     "Oh, um, sorry." Nico muttered, and moved to take his hand back, but then the balloon bumped, and Nico's hand immediately clamped back down on Will's out of both surprise and honest to god fear. This time, however, their fingers sort of laced, and it was obvious that Will was holding onto Nico just as much Nico was holding onto him. Hazel, who was a few steps in front of them, looked over her shoulder and giggled at Nico's predicament. Nico felt his cheeks burn and narrowed his eyes at her. The balloon continued to rise and Nico's grip didn't loosen. At the top they stopped, swaying a bit.

     "You are now 500 feet up." The recorded voice said.

  
_"Why'd you say now?"_ Nico hissed a bit louder than he wanted. Everyone else laughed. Nico could _feel_ Will's laughter, and it took all of his willpower not to turn around and kiss him right then and there. _Well, we_ are _500 feet up._  Nico thought _We're probably going to die anyway. Might as well kiss him be for a gust of winds picks us up and flys us of to Oz._  


     "So hello to Snapchat!" Jason said, ducking down next to Nico and snapping a picture. 

     "Oh, fuck off!" Nico shouted. "Jason I swear if you used the dog filter on that i will throw you off of this thing."

     "What do you have against the dog filter?" Jason said. "It makes you look so much less terrified."

     "Go to hell." Nico looked over his shoulder at the city below them, and moved his left hand, the one not linked to Will's, to the opposite bar, next to his right hand. He stared at the beautiful scenery, trying to take it all in. He pointed things out to Jason and Hazel, and laughed when Jason nearly tripped when he decided to be 'funny' and throw his hands up and spin in a circle. The balloon bumped again, and Nico's grip on both the bar and Will's hand tightened. The descent was much less terrifying than the ascent, and Nico's grip loosened. He had to shake his right hand and crack his knuckles after getting off the balloon. 

     They wandered around making faces at the animals and buying funnel cake. The entire time Nico kept glancing at Will, which was not uncommon, but he also kept catching Will steaing glances at him. He had no clue what just happened. They hated each other, right?

~~~

     "Eastern State Penitentiary. They say this place is haunted." Will said. When they entered.

     " _Boo!"_ Nico and Hazel shouted, shoving Jason's shoulders (which was a difficult task, considering Nico was 5'1", Hazel was 4'11", and Jason was a whopping 6')

     " _Ffff-"_ Jason yelped. "I hate you two."

     "Don't worry, this place is at least 83% ghost free." Hazel said.

     "And how would you know?" Lou asked incredulously.

     "Oh this schtick." Jason rolled his eyes. "Ever since we were younger, these two have insisted they can sense ghosts. They know that ghost and stuff creep me out so..."

     "We don't just sense them," Hazel said.

     "We can summon them too." Nico deadpanned. "I've got a zombie chauffeur named Jules Albert."

     "Nico, we both know Jules Albert is just an old guy with an iron deficiency." Jason said. Nico shook his head.

     "Nope, he's a zombie. We also can tell if some is dead or dying." Nico said.

     "It's a genetic thing." Hazel said. "We got it from our dad."

     "Why else would people call me Ghost King?" Nico crossed his arms.

     "No one calls you Ghost King. That came from a card game you were obsessed with as a kid. You thought you looked like the faceless character called 'the Ghost King'." Jason said.

     "Shhhhh." Nico hushed. "Just trust us."

     "Yep. We're not even supposed to be alive right now. We were born in the 1920s." Hazel said.

     "Yeah, I lived in a time warp hotel for a few months, and turns out _decades_ had passed."

     "And I died. Then Nico brought me back from the dead." Hazel said

     "We are basically like 80 years old."

     "What you are is a pair of freaks." Jason said.

     "Hey,"  Nico started. 

     "Respect your elders." Hazel finished. Lou looked confused but amused, Kayla looked slightly worried, and Will was flat out cackling. Nico made him laugh _again,_ and this time he could actually see. 

     They took the audio tour around the penetiary, and not long after entering did they abandon the tour and just started wandering and looking at shit. They entered tiny cells and gawked at Al Capone's. They were brought down into a short and narrow underground hall with pipes and a low ceiling. At the end was a solitary confinement room. Nico and Hazel laughed at Will, Jason, and Chiron, who all had to duck to fit in the hall. Lou could walk but her head was nearly touching the ceiling and Kayla's hair skimmed it. Meanwhile Hazel and Nico walked freely. No one went to the gift shop, and everyone just loaded back onto the bus when Argus came to pick them up.

     None of them felt particularly keen on going to the restaurant Chiron suggested, and they all just decided to go to a McDonalds and get back on the road. Hazel, Jason, and Nico all sat at one of the tables, and Will, Lou, and Kayla were at the other.

     "Ugh, pickles." Nico said. "Do either of you--"

     "No." Hazel and Jason chorused, knowing Nico would end up asking. He rolled his eyes and turned around in his seat.

     "Do any of you want pickles? I hate them." Nico said.

     "Will." Kayla and Lou said simultaneously.

     "The freak loves pickles." Lou laughed.

     "Weirdo." Kayla agreed. Nico chuckled.

     "Do you want them or not?" He asked Will.

     "Of fuckin' course!" Will laughed.

     "Language." Chiron shouted from where he was reading in the back on the bus. Nico put his pickles in a piece of the paper that his hamburger was wrapped in and ripped the piece off. He folded it and handed it over to the blonde. Nico sat back down and looked at his burger. He turned around again a moment later.

     "By any chance do you like tomatoes?"

     "Hand 'em over" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. BTW that song Will was singing is an actual song. It's from the Anamaniacs. My teacher taught us it in fourth grade. Also both DJ_Blueberry603 and bailci left a comment asking for a Will POV, which my beta, Katie, also suggested, so you may or may not be getting exactly that in the next chapter ;). They're also visiting someplace magical next chapter! That's all I'm saying. I hope you enjoyed. Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will is in over his head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this chapter was getting sort of long. So I had to cut it short, so this is only part one of their Disney World adventures. I hope I wrote well for Will, as I have mostly written from Nico's POV in the past, so I hope that Will's POV is written to your liking. Enjoy!

     " _Please, Chiron, please!"_

  
_"C'mon, what would we even do in Knoxville?"_ Will clambered back onto the bus, Kayla and Lou following behind. Nico, Jason, and Hazel were all in the back of the parked bus, seemingly trying to convince Chiron to do something. 

     "What's going on?" Kayla asked as we walked up to them.

     "We want to skip Tennessee and go to Disney World." Jason said.

     "Our family owns a Disney vacation home, and Hazel and I can just call our dad and get tickets to the parks on the drive down." Nico explained.

     "Wait, wait, woah, you _own_ a Disney vacation home?" Lou said. "Aren't those things like 2 million dollars?"

     "Or more. We got one this time last month." Hazel said.

     "Our family is _loaded."_ Nico laughed. Will fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

     "Can we Chiron?" Kayla asked excitedly.

     " _Please,_ our dad will pay for _everything."_ Nico said.

  
_"Please!"_ Lou begged. Everyone errupted into an explosion of pleas, finally Chiron gave in. 

     " _Fine_ ," he said, "but we're only staying for _two days._ We'll spend the night at the Nico and Hazel's family's vacation home." They all cheered and high fived. Argus wasn't particularly happy with the change of plan, but went with it.

~~~

     "You turn here, and it's up the road, on the right. Thhhat one!" Nico directed Argus to the house. Lou, Kayla, Hazel, and Jason were all passed out in their respective beds, but Will couldn't sleep. He laid in his bunk, silently watching Nico direct Argus, his eyes tired and his movements slowed. Will couldn't help but think the kid needed some sleep. And a sandwich. Or twelve. He was way too skinny. Will couldn't remember ever caring about Nico's wellbeing prior to that week, but now that he did, it was all he was thinking about. Why was he crying when Will walked into the hotel room? Why is he so skinny? Why is he so pale? Why does he always seem so tired? Is he ok? Why does he always look like there's something on his mind, and why does that something always seem to be like something heart wrenchingly depressing? He had his blanket wrapped around himself. He looked like a little kid after coming in from playing in the snow and sat by the fire. The blanket made him look even smaller than usual, which was saying something. Nico seemed to care about the blanket more than he cared about his laptop or cell phone. Will had no clue why he would. It was an old sort of wooly blue blanket that seemed to be stretched in places and had fading edges. It looked handmade. _Maybe that's why he loves it so much,_  Will thought.

     Argus moved to switch on the lights, and Will quickly rolled over and pulled the sheet up, pretending he was sleeping. 

     "Rise and shine." Argus said. Everyone groaned and tiredly pulled themselves to their feet. Will rubbed his eyes, pretending he'd just woken.

     "So you're _sure_ your father is alright with us staying here, Nico?" Chiron asked, approaching him from the back of the bus. 

     "Yeah, so long as we don't go on he fourth floor. Those rooms are all of limits or whatever. We checked with the respective owners of each room to be sure everyone can stay in them." Nico said.

     "Wait, this place has _four_ floors?" Will asked in disbelief.

     "Well, duh, we've got nine bedrooms." Nico said as though it were obvious.

     "Aren't you guys a family of three?" Will asked.

     "No, four." Nico said, glancing at a grinning Hazel with a small smile. "Besides its not just us. It's Jason and Percy's families too."

     "You guys own a vacation home together?" Lou laughed.

     "Yeah, did you think we could afford this on our own? Please, we might be rich, but we're not that rich." Nico laughed. Will rolled his eyes.

     "Are your families friends?" Kayla asked.

     "Well, yeah... We're cousins." Jason said.

     "What?" 

     "You didn't know that?" Hazel laughed.

     "Well none of you look much alike, if we're being completely honest." Lou laughed.

     "True..." Nico said. He paused before snapping back into reality. "Anyway, for the rooms the girls are on the third floor. Hazel's room is there, Lou and Kayla, you're staying in Jason's sister's room, she has a day bed with a trundle.      The guest room is on that floor too, so the Chiron and Argus are there, it had two beds. Jason and I each have our own rooms, and Will can take Percy's room. That's on the second floor."

     "No, no, no, Argus or I need to be on he second floor with you three." Chiron said.

     "Why? We had seperate rooms at the hotel." Nico asked.

     "But at the hotel we also had keys to each of your rooms, which were on either side of ours, so we could get into the room at anytime." Chiron explained.

     "Alright, that's fine." Nico sighed in defeat. "You can stay in Percy's room. I've got an extra bed in my room. Will, I guess you're stuck with me." _Great. Just great._  


_~~~_

     The house didn't actually look huge from the inside. There wasn't a lot of floor space on the first level. It was the size of a relatively large apartment. It was open plan, with a kitchen that was separated by a half wall and there was a dinner table and a living room area. But, where the house lacked in floor space, it made up for with levels. Nico, Hazel, and Jason all guided the group to their rooms, walking like sleep deprived zombies.

     "Your room is on the end of the hall there." Jason yawned, point Chrion the room at the end of the hall. Jason entered his room and Chrion continued down the hall.

     "We're in here." Nico said, leading Will into the first room in the hall it was an average size room, and in the dark Will could just make out walls covered posters, two twin sized beds shoved against the rightmost wall, and a bookshelf in the corner, wedged between a desk and a wall. Nico dropped his bag at the foot of the bed closest to the window. He clicked on a lamp on his night stand, lighting up a small portion of the room. 

     "That one's your bed. I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep now." Nico said. Will nodded and dropped his bag by the other bed. Nico didn't even bother pulling back the sheets and just laid down on top with his blanket. _So juvenile._  Will thought.

     "That light switch turns on the ceiling fan too if you get..." Nico trailed off, and Will could've sworn her saw the hint of a blush on his cheeks before he rolled over in his bed. Will held back a snicker, and flicked on the fan. He put his shoes by his bag and climbed into the bed.

     It had been 4 hours since he'd first climbed into bed, and Will was still awake. He'd been tossing and turning the who time, not feeling the slightest bit tired. He rolled over and looked over at Nico's bed. The boy was curled up into a ball, covered by the blue blanket. His shaggy black hair was splayed across his pillow and over his face. White light spilled in from the windows, allowing Will to just make out Nico's face. His face looked even paler in the light. He seemed to look constantly cold, even though it was probably at least 80 degrees outside. He spoke in his sleep. it was mostly unintelligible, but still noticeable. Will closed his eyes and listened to the quiet mumbling, before the talking got on his nerves. It kept him awake, but now it was different. Endearing. Cute, even.

     _Wait, no, no, no,_ Will thought, _no, not cute. Will, you've hated this guy since the 6th grade. He's not fucking cute. Don't do this to yourself._ So, like any rational person, he decided to make a mental list of every negative thing about Nico.

  * He talks when he sleeps

  * He is a snobby rich kid

  * So are his friends

  * He's too skinny

  * He's too pale

  * He always looks like he's in pain

  * He rarely laughs

  * His laugh is annoying

  * Like he just sort of smiles and exhales loudly

  * Speaking of his smile

  * It pisses Will off

  * His teeth are like pure white

  * And they're straighter than Will

  * Speaking of which

  * Even if Will did like him (which he _didn't!)_

  * He was probably straight

  * And probably has a girlfriend

  * I mean how could he not

  * He's fucking adorable

  * _Shit_

  * _I'm fucked_




Will listed every bad thing about Nico di Angelo, but he still couldn't help but fall asleep listening to his muttering like it was a lullaby.

~~~

     Will woke up before Nico. With the sunlight now poring ing from the window he could see everything in the room. The walls were light grey and the floorboards were black. He had red curtains and a tall brown bookshelf. The walls were plastered with posters. There was one of a punk pop band Will knew of, and another for popular solo artist of the same genre. There were a few that were for different books and movies that Will knew, and loved. There was also a Pokemon poster. Will recalled the game, considering replaying it again. On the wall Will's bed was against, there were a bunch of the same there posters all on the wall with what looked like black spray paint behind them and on the edges. Above his desk Nico had pinned up two pieces of string and clipped pictures to them with clothespins. They were mostly Polaroids that looked new, only about a year old, but a few were normal photos and looked older. Will found himself standing up to look at them. There were some of Hazel and some of Hazel and himself. A couple were of just him, but were obviously taken without his knowledge. A few showed groups of people including Nico, Hazel, and Jason, but also their other cousins, Percy and Thalia. There was one older photo including what appeared to be a younger, darker skinned, and all around healthier and happier looking Nico with a girl a few years older, wearing a green hat. There was one of three men that all looked awkward, and as though they were trying there hardest not to laugh. The middle man was taller and had a greying black beard and longer hair. He seemed stern but strangely amused. The man on right was obviously Nico's father. While they didn't look much a like, his father being taller, having much sharper features and more well kept hair, they had the same "looks so unapproachable that they make you want to approach" kind of demeanor. The man on the left was the shortest of the three and obviously the youngest. His hair had the fewest grey streaks and he just gave of a very young and friendly vibe. He had long brown hair, sea green eyes, and sun tanned skin. 

     "Those are my uncles." Will practically jumped when he heard Nico's voice pierce the silence. "I've got a similar picture back home. People always ask me why I have a picture of there middle aged men in my locker. They're my uncles and my dad, and they're pissy dicks that can't keep it together for one day. Last year we spent nearly the whole summer down here. That was one of few times I'd seen them all together without one of them shouting or throwing something." Nico was smiling, so Will took it as permission to smile too. He didn't want to laugh at something that was a serious topic for Nico.

     "I always assumed your dad would look like either you or Hazel." Will said.

     "Have you put a lot of consideration into the looks of my father?" Nico joked. Will chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, ducking his head in hopes to hide the faint blush creeping up to his cheeks. "Hazel and I both look like our moms. That's why she has a different last name. We both too our mom's last name."

     "Why?"

     "Well, for one, our dad wanted us too..." Nico said. "My grandfather wasn't a good person, or a good father, and they didn't was to carry his name. That and a whole other thing about our housing and life situations at the time, it's a _long_ story, that I really hate telling." Will nodded.

     "What about these?" Will pointed to the posters on the wall, successfully changing the subject.

     "Oh these!" Nico said, standing up on his bed to point to the different posters. "This one is for this band..." Nico continued to ramble on about emo bands, video games, and tv shows, but Will was barely listening. Nico's eyes just seemed to light up when he mentioned the posters, liked he'd been waiting  _years_ to tell people about them. He had a small smile stretching his lips and his voice seemed to speed up.

     "What about these?" Will asked when Nico's babbling slowed. He pointed to the posters on the other wall.

     "Oh those!" Nico jumped of his bed and ran over so he could point everything out. _So juvenile._ "These are Thalia's band posters." Nico said pointing out the ones with blue backgrounds and what looked like a gas mask on them.

     "Jason's sister is in a band?" Will asked curiously.

     "Yep, they formed in her junior year." Nico said. "She's been a music buff for as long as I've known her. She, Piper, Percy, and I used to put on stupid little performances when we were _younger,_ younger. We were nerds."

     "You still are a nerd." Will said as he inspected the posters.

     "Rude."

     "You called yourself the ghost king."

     "...point taken." Nico laughed, ducking his head and letting strands of his bedhead fall in his eyes. His bedhead wasn't much worse than his normal hair; it still made Will want to run his fingers through it in a failed attempt to comb it. 

     "We should go down stairs. I think I hear them making breakfast." Will said. Nico nodded, rubbing the back of. His neck. They made there way down to the kitchen, where Chrion was handing out breakfast: those cereals in the plastic bowls, scrambled eggs with no salt, and, the best part, bacon. The milk, eggs, and bacon all came from a corner shop down the road that Will was pretty sure also sold second hand bicycles. They all sat around the TV and watched Netflix, as the house didn't have cable. After finishing his breakfast, Will said he wanted to get his stuff together, and left the room. He went upstairs to Nico's room and grabbed his bag. There really was nothing he wanted to do, he just knew he couldn't stay in the same room as Nico without staring.

     "What's up with you?" Will turned and saw Lou and Kayla stood in the doorway.

     "Wha--"

     "We know you know what we mean." Lou said. "We can read you like an open book."

     "Now spill." Kayla said, pulling out Nico's desk chair and sitting down. Lou sat on Nico's bed, and Will sat on his.

     "I- I think... I don't know... But I think, maybe I--"

     "Spit it out." Lou said.

     "I think I like Nico." Will said. The two girls were silent for a moment before groaning, Lou burying her face in the pillow, and Kayla pinching the bridge of her nose.

     "This is so like you."

     "What?" Will asked, surprised.

     "You makes us try to hate the poor kid for four years and now you want him." Kayla said. 

     "Well I thought he was--"

     "Spoiled?"

     "Immature?"

     "Snobby?"

     "Elitist?"

     "Generally dickish?"

     "Alright, alright." Will said. "Just, don't say anything, please."

     "Of course not." Kayla smiled.

     "Your secret is safe with us." Lou laughed. "Besides, I think there's a good chance he feels the same way." Will snorted.

     "Doubt it. After the _Thing_ from sixth grade, I'd hate me too." Will said.

     "Will, you were 12, if he's at all mature he will have gotten over it by now." Kayla said.

     "But what if he hasn't?"

     "Then the douche isn't good enough for you." Lou said. "And we'll start hating him _for_ you."

     "But for now, you enjoy your lovesick escapades, you little weirdo." Kayla teased, pinching his cheek. Will waved her hand away, smiling.

     "Thanks." He mumbled.

     "Guys! C'mon, we're leaving!" Came Jason's voice shouting from downstairs.

     "Let's go." Kayla smiled. "Hey, it's Disney. Maybe you'll find your Prince Charming."

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Didney Worl

_"The Magic Kingdom!"_  Jason said in a loud voice as the group entered the park.

 

     "Mainstreet USA, always a good place to start." Hazel said. Nico laughed, and looked around at the street. Through the middle of the road there was trolley tracks, and the buildings that lined the streets were painted every color from red to blue to gold. Ahead, at the end of the street, was the amazing Cinderella Castle. No matter how many times they visited, Disney World never failed to amaze him. They made their way up and down the street, stopping in stores and buying food. By the time they started making their way to Fantasyland, another portion of the park, they'd already wasted two hours. Hazel had a Minnie Mouse ears, Nico had Mickey Mouse ears, and Jason wore a Goofy one. Lou had a Stich hat, Kayla had a sorcerer Mickey hat, and Will had a Pluto hat. Chiron and Argus themselves even treated themselves to Mickey ears. Nico and Hazel both had ice cream, Jason and Lou both had a churro, Kayla had a corn dog, and Will had a popsicle that made Nico very uncomfortable (and Hazel and Jason's nudging and suggestive expressions didn't help).

     Their first stop in Fantasy land was the tea cups. They waited for about thirty minutes, leaning against railings, bored out of their skulls.

     "Is this ride even worth it?" Will asked, fanning himself with his hat.

     "Trust me, it is." Hazel said.

     "It's her favorite." Nico said.

     "And she'll purposefully crash the bus if we don't ride it." Jason added.

     "Alright, cause the sun is killing me." Will complained.

     "Well, you're just going to have to suck it up, sunshine." Nico rolled his eyes. "I'm wearing all black. If I can survive, then so can you."

     They were let in not much later and were seated in two cups, Nico, Hazel, and Jason in one, and Will, Lou, and Kayla in another. The ride started up, spinning them around, shrieks and giggles could be heard from every directions. Hazel was squealing from delight, and Nico kept catching glimpses of Will in the other cup. He was laughing again. His whole-body-shaking-eyes-scrunching-and-head-moving laugh that made Nico's stomach flip. He only caught short glances, but they felt like they lasted forever.

     After they got off the tea cups, Jason dragged them over to the Dumbo Ride.

     "C'mon, you _have_ to ride it!" He insisted.

     "Jase, that's for kids!" Nico said.

     "Yes, but these three haven't gone on before!"

     "So?"  
     "They need the _experience!"_ Jason said.

     "Of flying around in a metal elephant that moved in a way _scarily similar_ to that of many common town fair rides?" Nico said skeptically.

     "It's _different!_ This is _Disney World._ " Jason said.

     " _Fineee!"_ Nico gave in. he turned to Will and his friends. "You up for it."  
     "Yes!" Lou and Kayla shouted before Will could even open his mouth.

     "Ok, it's in twos so. Jason, you go with me." Hazel said.

     "What? Why?"

     "Because you're the biggest, and I'm the smallest so we'll fit better." She said. She gave a sideways glance to Nico, as if to signal to Jason that she just didn't want to sit with Nico. Nico narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. Jason nodded at her, ignoring Nico's suspicion. They looked up to see Lou and Kayla with their arms linked, bickering with Will.

     "You guys all set?" Hazel asked

     "Yep!" Lou said. "Kay and I are going on together."

     "Great! So Will and Nico will go in one together." She said. Nico's eyes widened at her, and she smirked. They had a sort of wordless sibling argument. One of the ones where they just stare in a why that seemed to obviously convey the message, but only to them.

     _Fuck you_

_Ha Ha. Go get him lover-boy_

_I hate you_

_You love me!_

_Sure_

  
They climbed into their elephants when they got their chance. Will was so close to him, his side pressed up against Nico's. _I wish some other things were pressed together,_ Nico thought.Nico felt his face heating up and tried to stare, which was a real feat. The ride started up, and they were lifted up off the ground. Not too long later Will was laughing again. Nico could feel him moving. He could feel Will's laugh vibrating through his body and shaking him. Nico could help but smile too. It didn't take long for the vibrations of Will's laugh to take Nico over too. Soon Nico was laughing his stupid laugh. Nico hated his laugh. It was creepy and he got it from his father. It built up, starting from his shoulders and slowly made it's way into his feet. It made his shoulders shake, and his body shrank. He'd double over laughing very often and never managed to laugh without making his stomach hurt. Nico looked up at Will, who was staring at him beaming, for whatever reason, but he quickly looked away. They spent the duration of their ride laughing and wooting like maniacs. A few parents shot them the stink eye, as though they were infecting their children.

     Nico was giggly for the entire rest of the day. He, Hazel, and Jason sang along to it's a small world (Nico less so than the others, but still, on any given day he wouldn't have sang at all). They spent half of the day in Magic Kingdom and the other half in Epcot. Back at the house Hazel was playing the Beatles and dancing and singing along.

     "Here comes the sun!" She sang.

     "Doo doo do do." Nico muttered. He laid on the couch, reading a book.

     "Here come's the sun." Hazel sand again, getting in his face, and swiping his book.

     "and I say..." Nico muttered again.

     "It's alright." They sang together. She pulled him off the couch and made him dace with her.

     " _Hazellll"_ Nico whined. Hazel rolled her eyes and spun herself.

     "C'mon, Nico dance. Like when we were kids." She insisted. She grabbed him by the wrists and they spun in circles a few times. They pulled their arms in so they each had one arm bent at the elbow and the other extended, their shoulders together. They danced like they were taught as children, but looser, and enjoying themselves more. They collapsed on the floor, out of breath and laughing after a run through of Here Come's The Sun, Help!, and Can't Buy Me Love.

     "Wow." Lou laughed. She was sharing the single seat couch with Kayla, their legs overlapping, and Will was sat on the armrest.

     "What?" Nico panted, pushing his hair out of his face.

     "You guys are awesome!" Kayla said.

     "Well, they better be!" Jason said. "Their dad paid good money for them to take classes."  
     " _Jason!"_ Nico hissed.

     "You took dance classes?" Will asked incredulously.

     "When we were younger." Hazel nodded. "Our dad wanted prodigy children."

     "But instead he got an artist, a runaway, and a kid that kills at DDR." Nico said.

     "Runaway?"

     "Our older sister."

     "Sister?"

     "No more questions!" Jason said. "Nico's in a good mood. That's not particularly common, so I plan on milking it as much as I can."

     "I second that." Hazel laughed.

     "I hate you two."

     "No you don't." Hazel said. She grabbed him by the ears and moved his head side to side. "Don't you, little brother?"

     "I'm older than you Hazel."

     "Sureee..." She said, letting him go. She turned to Jason and pointed at him. "DJ, hit it."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're thinking "that bit at the end was unecessary," yes, yes it was. I was jamming out to various songs with my brother when I was planning this chapter and I just really wanted them to sing here come's the sun. It's cute, shut up. Also if you miss Will POV, don't worry, a future chapter will be in his POV.
> 
> Edit: Sorry about the conflicting modification, Katie (beta) didn't tell me cause she thought I saw. Which I didn't. It was just an error in the program I use to write my fics and stuff. Easy fix. Yay


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere over the rainbow...  
> Blue birds fly...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm really proud of this chapter. Katie really seemed to like it. So here you go! It's short but it's also pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Enjoy!

     " _Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly..."_ Nico was not having the best of days. Nothing particularly horrible was happening, but he just felt shitty. He felt like his shoes were full of water, and his head was pounding with anxiety ridden thoughts of mortality, the afterlife, and the likeliness of getting in a car accident, which were not very healthy to think about while trapped in a bus with 7 other people. He listened as Will played his ukulele and sang _Somewhere Over the Rainbow._ His voice was cool and smooth, and it calmed Nico's anxious mind a bit. Nico had his knees to his chest, and his chin on his knees. His eyes were closed as he listened. Will was sat on the bottom bunk on the girl side, with his sister and friend on either side of him. Hazel and Jason sat on the floor at the ends of Nico's bunk, listening. 

     " _Can't I...?"_ Will sang the last note. Everyone clapped, and Will jokingly bowed. Nico clapped politely and laid down, facing the wall. His phone buzzed. He looked down at it, a text from Bianca.

     " _I'm homeeeee"_ She'd said. The text was accompanied by a pictures of her and their dad, both with tears in their eyes.

     " _Great"_ Nico messaged back.

     " _So how are things on the Chrion-Mobile?"_  


  
_"Fine"_ Nico lied. " _We'll be home soon"_  


_"Miss you."_

_"Miss you too. I've gotta go bye"_

_"Bye"_

     "You ok, Nico?" Nico rolled over and his eyes met his sister's.

     "I'm fine." He said. "I've just got a lot on my mind." She nodded and squeezed his wrist reassuringly. Nico faked a smile and turned to stare at the bottom of the bunk above him. His mind swam with thoughts of worthlessness and inadequacy. What was the point of living if we're all dying? Why not just drive the bus into a tree? 

     "We're going to be passing a rest stop soon. We don't need gas, but if anyone needs to use the bathroom or purchase anything, we can stop."

     " _Please! I am starving!"_ Lou shouted.

     "Alright..." Chrion muttered. They drove down the road, Nico's thoughts swishing through his brain and swaying with the moving bus.

     "We're here!" Will shouted, Jason darted out of the room, obviously dying to go to the bathroom.

     "You comin'?" Hazel asked Nico.

     "Nah. I'm alright." Nico said, sitting up.

     "Ok, you want anything?" Hazel asked.

     "Oreos and a drink?" Nico asked hopefully. Hazel laughed.

     "Sure. By the way, I borrowed your laptop. I left it on my bed." She said before exiting the bus with everyone else.

     "Ok thanks." Nico called. He stood up and walked over to her bed, opening his laptop and beginning to type in his password. 

     "Are you alright?" Nico looked up and brown eyes met blue.

     "I'm fine." Nico said, looking back at his laptop screen.

     "Are you sure?"

     "I'm _fine!"_ Nico snapped, his voice louder than he originally intended.

     "Fine! You don't need to be an ass."

     "A what?" Nico ask, setting his laptop down and shooting up.

     "An ass!"

     "You were being annoying." Nico shouted.

     "Well _sorry_ that I showed concern for your wellbeing!" Will shouted back.

     "Since when have you given a shit about me?" Nico spat. Will looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.

     " _Excuse me?_ "

     "You've hated me since we were in middle school! Why would you start caring now?!" Nico yelled. "You've hated me for so long that I don't even remember why!"

     "Oh you fucking know!" Will gritted his teeth. He was seething. It scared Nico a bit to see him so honestly fuming, but he stood his ground. "You brought everything on yourself!"

     "Oh yeah? How?"

     "You are so fucking arrogant!" Will spat. "You were always too good for anyone else. You and your rich friends were all too perfect for _us commoners!"_  


  
_"_ Is that what you think, I thought of you?"

     "It's what I think you still think of me. I think that no matter how hard I try to convince myself you've grown up, you're still that childish jackass that made me feel so fucking worthless for years." Will said.

     "You think I'm the issue here?" Nico asked incredulously. "You've made me feel so ridiculously shitty for years!"

     "How? By existing?" Will sneered

     "No you fucking dickhead! I have been in a state of complete confusion and anger and hopelessness, because of you. You ruined my life. Will FUCKING Solace! You ruined my life because I am so hopelessly in--"

**_CRASH_ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may not be uploading for a little while cause I've got camp. That and I kind of like making my readers suffer. SOORRRRYYYYY! I love you alllll! Jk. I'm not sorry, but I do love you all! I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to spout various profanities at me in the reviews.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hopelessly in--"

     "I am so hopelessly in--" **_CRASH!_** They went flying. Will fell onto his back and Nico fell forward, both of them shouting in surprise. Will's head hit the ground and he was knocked out cold. He woke up not long later, no more than a minute could have passed, as no one had come running in yet. His vision was blurry and his head throbbed. There was a ginormous dent made by a SUV that had crashed into the bus, the momentum and sudden impact having been what threw Will and Nico off their feet. Will wobbly pulled himself into a semi-sitting position. He looked over and saw Nico lying next to the bunk bed. He had obviously hit his head when they fell.

     " _Nico!"_ Will shouted. He crawled over and tried to shake him awake. He cradled Nico's head in his arm, and pulled the boy up. "C'mon Nico, _wake up."_ Will heard a shriek coming from off the bus. He ignored it and kept trying to shake Nico, his attempts fruitless. He had a bump forming on his forehead, and a cut on the side of his face made by a part of the metal bed frame that had been moved when the car shifted the bus. He was bleeding. Will tried to wipe away the blood, not knowing what to do and his brain feeling like mashed potatoes. Will hugged Nico, feeling himself tearing up a bit. He felt guilty, like, had he not approached Nico, none of this would've happened. He wasn't wrong. There probably would've still been the crash, but Nico would be safe. He wouldn't have been so close to where the car had impacted. He would've probably been sat on his bed, on his laptop, which was now in bits. This was all his fault, wasn't it?

     "What--"

     " _Nico!"_ Hazel shrieked, cutting off Chrion as they clambered onto the bus hurriedly. She ran over and cradled her brother's face. " _Oh no, oh no, no, no, no_ " She was crying now. Jason ran on too.

     " _Nico!"_ He shouted too and ran over to join Hazel kneeling on the ground. Kayla and Lou ran over to Will.

     "Call 911." Chiron told Argus, who nodded and climbed off the bus to make the call.

     "Will! Oh my god, Will are you ok?" Kayla asked, holding his face, and turning it, as if to check he was in one piece.

     "I'm- alright." He breathed out. Lou and Kayla kept babbling worriedly, meanwhile Hazel and Jason were trying to get closer to Nico. They seemed to be trying to drag the two of them away from each other, but Will couldn't hear any of them. It was just white noise. All he knew was that he wasn't letting go of Nico, no matter what. Chrion pushed between Jason and Hazel to get to Nico. Jason kept his arm under Nico's head and Hazel was squeezing his hand, sobbing silently. Chrion felt for a pulse. Everyone fell silent for a moment. Chiron was silent, Will could feel how cold Nico was. Hazel's sobs worsened. He was gone? He- he couldn't be--

     "I feel a pulse!" Chiron shouted. Hazel threw her arms around her brother's neck, crying into his shoulder. Will smiled hopefully.

     The ambulance arrived about 2 minutes later. They had to pry Will off Nico, but he rode in the back of the ambulance with him, as well as Hazel and Jason. Chrion, Argus, Kayla, and Lou all rode in a police car behind the ambulance. They arrived at the hospital and were rushed into different rooms, switching every few minutes. No matter how much they moved, Will refused to be separated from Nico. Even when they stitched up Nico's cut, he watched interestedly. He planned to be a doctor, so that couldn't phase him. Everything, all of the moving and the examinations, everything seemed to blur together. They stayed overnight in the hospital, both of them under observation. Nico woke up not long after being rushed in, but they barely looked at each other in the rush of doctors and nurses giving the meds and treatments. They didn't say a word to each other until the next day. They were going to be released from the hospital's care that afternoon, and everyone had reluctantly left to go eat breakfast. They were in the same room, and had both finished eating. They were silently staring around the room, doing everything to not look at each other, but, inevitably, their eyes met. Will gulped. When neither of them said anything, they looked back at their feet. Will heard Nico breathe deeply, sort of in preparation.

     "My mom was from a small, poor, sort of rural part of Italy." Nico said, still not making eye contact. Will looked up at him, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "My dad was a rich American college student, raised in a Greek family. They met when my dad was studying abroad. My mom dreamed of visiting America, but she felt guilty leaving her poor family. He taught her English, and she helped him improve his Italian. They weren't married when my sister, Bianca, or I were born. After she gave birth to Bianca, my dad tried to convince her to go back to America with him. She refused, so they stayed. He was too in love with her to argue too hard. A few years later, something important came up with our family in America, so my dad had to go back for a year and a half. At the time, my mother was pregnant with me, but she didn't tell him since she didn't want him to stay with her. While he was in America my dad had an affair with Hazel's mother. I was born while he was away. Bianca and I both took my mom's last name because all she had were sisters, and my father disliked my grandfather, so he refused to carry the name. My grandfather was a bad man, terrible even. That's why my cousins and I all have different last names. My uncles and dad all hated their father, so the agreed not to continue the name that he was so proud of, largely out of spite. My dad came back to Italy, and found me. I was only a half year old. We lived happily for 7 more years. Then my mom..." Nico choked a bit on his words, "my mom got sick. Really, really sick."

     "Nico, you don't have to--"

     "Yes. I do. I can't have you hating me, it would kill me." Nico said. Will silenced himself, allowing Nico to continue. "My dad convinced her to leave her family and move to America because he knew a doctor that specialized in illnesses like hers. We moved to New York, and, about a year after we arrived, my father started to get letters from Hazel's mom, begging for help. He sent her money and tried to be discreet about it, but my mother figured it out soon enough. She was heartbroken. After that, it was as though she was barely trying anymore. Her only reason to live was Bianca and I. It was obvious that's she'd completely given up when I was nine and she told Bianca 'take care of him for me.' She died not long now after."

     "Oh, Nico..." Will muttered. Nico swallowed, his eyes swelling with tears.

     "The funniest part," Nico started, giving a watery, humorless laugh, "is that Bianca knew she was going to go, but instead of 'taking care' of me, an emotional nine year old boy who _already_ had trust issues and fit in no where, she ran. She applied to an exclusive all girls school, and ran. I saw her face for the first time in years not too long ago. It was the day you walked in and found Hazel and I crying. She left me, and I was so lonely and _angry_. I was full of just so much _rage._ Everything made me mad. I was mad at Bianca for leaving me. I was mad at my dad for messing up his relationship with my mom. I was mad at the doctor for not saving her. I was mad at myself for feeling like this. And, the one that still makes me feel guilty, I was mad at my mom for dying and leaving me."

     "Nico..." Will said quietly, moving to the foot of Nico's bed.

     "I was depressed, and that same year Hazel came into the picture. She made me a lot happier. She got me to interact more with my cousins, and with their friends. I was getting better over the course of a year or two, but then sixth grade happened." Nico finally looked up and met Will's eyes. Will felt guilty.

     "Nico, I'm--"

    "No, everything was my fault. Don't apologize. But the whole thing left me so confused and angry. I learned to deal with it, but all this trip has done was poke at it and poke at it until..." He trailed off. They were silent for a moment.

     "What is 'it'?" Will finally asked.

     "What?"

     "What is 'it'? What has this trip poked at? What left you confused and angry."

     "The thing in sixth grade," Nico started cautiously, "it left me with a sort of..."

     "Hmm?" Will asked. Nico stared at him as he tried to find the words.

     "A kind of..." Will stared at him, waiting for an end to the statement. "Feeling."

     "What kind of feeling?" Will asked.

     "A kinda, sorta..." Nico trailed off.

     "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Will reassured him.

     "No, I want to." Nico said quickly. "I really, _really_ want to."

     "Ok then. On with it."

     "Well, it's sort of..." Nico trailed off. "Do you remember, just before the crash, I started to say something. I started to say I was hopelessly something, but I got cut off." 

     "Yes...?"

     "Well, Will, umm... I, um... Will, I'm... I--"

     "Out with it!" Will said impatiently.

     "Fuck it." Nico muttered. He reached over and grabbed the back of Will's head, leaned in, and kissed him. Will was surprised, but quickly sunk into the kiss. It was light and sweet, but long. Nico had one hand on the nape of Will's neck, fingers in his hair and the other was holding his face. Will snaked his hands around Nico's waist and pulled him closer. A few moments later Will broke the kiss.

     "What does this make us?" Will asked, leaning their foreheads together.

     "I don't know about you, but _this_ just makes me _really_ happy." Nico muttered, pulling Will back in for another kiss. 

     "No, I mean, where does it put us, relationship wise?" Will asked, breaking the kiss again.

     "I'm not sure. All I know is that I've been wanting this for years, and I am not letting go now." Nico said. Will laughed and pecked him on the lips.

     "So... boyfriends?" Will asked

     "Yes, please." Nico muttered. Will laughed again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a good mood, so I decided to post this. I was going to wait until this weekend, but I'm bored and feeling nice. Also was the first part crappy? I really hope not. Katie liked it, but idk. I'm not used to writing sad stuff, so...  
> Also! The next chapter will be a sort of prologue, and I want to take your suggestions of what I should put in the chapter. It's just sort of meant to be a kind of fluffy end to this. So if you want to suggest something, just leave your suggestion in a comment


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